AP sources: Labor Dept. to tell employers gays eligible for family leave

AP sources: Gay workers to get family leave

WASHINGTON — The Labor Department is ready to tell employers they must give gay workers the same opportunity as heterosexual ones to take unpaid time off to care for their partners’ newborns or loved ones.

Two officials briefed on the policy changes said Monday that Labor Secretary Hilda Solis would announce the decision on Wednesday. The officials would only speak on the condition of anonymity ahead of the announcement.

The Family and Medical Leave Act allows workers to take up to 12 weeks of unpaid leave each year to take care of loved ones or themselves. The 1993 law also allows employees to take time for adoption but previously only applied that to heterosexual couples.

The Labor Department planned to extend those rights based on a new interpretation of the law.